by S J Doran
“MARA LOOK OUT!”
Pain exploded through her cheek, radiating through her skull, her legs dropped from under her and she hit the ground hard. Cass curled himself around her, as stalactites larger than bodies shed from the ceiling.
She clung to him, his body encasing hers, her arms wrapping tightly around his head, shielding him best she could. With a push of will, she forced all her magic into the summoning of her circle, its golden light barely lighting up the stone crashing down upon them. Her own scream joined that of the lich.
“Mara…”
The next thing she became aware of was the crushing weight of her demon pressing down on her, his fingers running along every bit her body he could reach.
Oh that’s Lich
He blinked open his eyes and had immediate regrets. Sand and grit stung them, and when he moved his hand to swipe it away, his body wouldn’t cooperate. He was pinned by a crushing weight that was making breathing difficult.
He couldn’t move. With a grunt, he tried to shift Mara underneath him—protect her… He couldn’t see her—his eyes were still burning and watering.
“I’ve been ordered to break a bone every time you flinch.”
No. he wasn’t back there. He was stronger now, he could protect her.
Every shift of his body sent a new wave of pain blaring through him, the rubble that had buried them taking every advantage to shift in closer. Mara wasn’t moving, wasn’t making a sound.
They’d walked into a trap.
The last thing he expected was for the Lich to be expecting them.
He stopped panicking, going still and silent. He prodded around with his powers, trying to sense if they were still in danger, or if the Lich, in their outright audacity, had actually thought they’d finished off the Warlock Queen and the King of the Hells. That thought brought a snort. He wasn’t completely outraged yet, but it was building fast.
The very fabric of this realm was woven with corruption. His power latched on, knowing what it needed without conscious thought from Cass himself. He kept it in check, sipping, no use to them if his power overwhelmed him.
Mara. Her circle had fallen when she’d blacked out, without its protection, they’d be in a much more dire predicament.
“Mara?” he whispered, with urgency.
And kept sipping.
He could feel his physical body strengthening as his power built. He could hear the Lich whispering, or perhaps speaking normally, but buried under a pile of rock as he and Mara were, he couldn’t hear.
He squeezed his hand, already full of her flesh, but couldn’t move much more than that.
“Mara? Wake up.” He rubbed his cheek over her hair, pressing quick kisses wherever he could reach.
“Demon, why are you kissing my eye?” Her voice was raspy, like after she screamed his name to the rafters.
“I can’t see,” he pulled his head back, trying to open his eyes again. He managed a squint.
He could see blood. Her entire face was coated.
Fury blasted through him.
There it was.
He was now fully alert, and his power was no longer sipping slowly at the corruption. It was a vacuum.
“Easy demon, we need a way to get in. Remember?”
“Change of plans.” He no longer cared that they hadn’t intended to hurt the Lich. They hurt his Mara.
“First, we retrieve what we came for. Then, by all means, feel free to rip this rift to into oblivion.”
He kept looking her over, flinching when his fingers moved along her swollen cheek. “If you don’t stop breaking your falls with your head, I’ll be forced to buy you a helmet.”
“Rasputin says my head is the hardest part of me.”
“I don’t think you were meant to take that literally.” The sight of her insolent scowl forced a smile from him. “But, it does give me an idea on how to secure an audience with the Lich King.”
Rubbing dust and sand out of her eyes she squinted up at him, her eyes narrowing first with suspicion. “How?”
“Hold on to me,” he said, trying to shift off her enough so he wouldn’t hurt her when he unleashed the build-up.
He felt the tips of her claws scrape across his chest as her hands gripped his shirt. Her breaths were heavy, she was trying to hide that she was in pain.
“How hurt are you?” His body had stilled again, anger buzzing in his head.
Keep control. Can’t hurt her more…
“I think my skull is broken,” Mara said, her voice teasing, trying to calm him. He didn’t want calm.
“I’ll try not to move you too much.” He pushed his shoulder against a jagged rock that was pressing into it.
“Soon as we can see them, I’ll lock them down.” He was panting with the effort of trying to move, cold sweat prickling all over his body. He needed air. Cool air…
“Easy demon. Stay in control, we need them, remember,” Mara said, clearly exasperated.
“Right.” His arm was finally able to move enough to support her head. “Sorry Mara, I’m not doing well with this.”
Her fingers brushed at his eyelashes. “I know, and I don’t want to rush you demon, but really I need out of this pile. Closed spaces…” Her voice broke, yet he’d understood.
Throw her in a five by five cell and throw away the key
He nodded, cradled her head to him as gently as he could and took a shaking breath. His entire body shook…
The rocky floor was shaking beneath them. He hadn’t even fully released his power… rocks shook and shifted, trying to crush down and fill all the spaces Cass had cleared.
“Shit.” He tried to pull Mara back underneath him, but she was having none of that. “I’m not doing that intentionally.”
“Just…” Her breaths were labored. “Get it over with. All at once.”
“Cover your face.” He pushed his back against the rocks, trying to keep them from falling on her.
The ground rumbled. The walls shook, more debris shifted. Loud snaps sounded off as the floor cracked.
Outraged eyes peeked out from between bloodied fingers. “Oh no, we’re not doing this. What if the rest of the cave collapses atop us!”
The rocks surrounding them groaned, then started rattling against each other. Dust was coating them in a thick layer, moving becoming easier…
“We’re not sticking around for someone to come dig us out, not if we’re to get our hands on that Rod.”
“Nah, too easy… ahhh…” Mara’s hands tightened on his shirt, a small whimper escaping as their stone encasement eased. The sound—that small admittance of weakness from her—it tore through his restraint, his power blasting out.
Relief was immediate and acute.
Finally, he could breathe. The air was a cloud of dust, but it was fresh. The rocks flew in all directions, the sonic boom accompanying the release of power cracked through the cavern like the snap of a whip, followed by a breath’s worth of complete silence.
Clambering to his feet with Mara in his arms, he faced down what remained of the army, watching them cower as the hells heeded the call of their King.
Cracks in the floors zig-zagged their way to the walls, white flames dancing between the jagged openings, followed by the oozing liquid flame trailing and pooling as the hell-flames rose to Cass’s command.
“Who the fuck is tearing apart my lands?” A shriek of rage preceded the entrance of a towering figure, skeletal features draped in a moth-eaten mantle declaring him to be fallen royalty.
“Better question,” Cass yelled back. “Who in the Hells would dare attack the King of the Hells and Warlock Queen within a rift of my own realm?”
To demonstrate, he waved up his hand, the hell-flames heeding his command like well-trained mutts.
“Stand DOWN,” the booming voice filled up the cavern.
It took Cass a moment to realize the creature wasn’t speaking to him. The raucous noise that had been surrounding them quieted to whispers in time with t
he settling dust.
He eased Mara to her feet and pulled her against him, her shocked hiss of breath reminding him that she was not just faking injury. His palms held her cheeks, his thumbs swiping at the blood. Not as bad as it appeared… a deep slice at her hairline, a lot of blood. He took a steadying breath. She would be okay.
Her hand was pressing against his chest, putting pressure on a wound watching blood seep from between her fingers. That would heal too. They survived, regardless of them walking blindly into a trap, emotions having gotten the better of them both.
Did they have any true allies remaining? Anyone on their side?
It was ridiculous to think any living thing in the universe would support them in their wish to remain together. But he could admit being selfish enough as to crave such approval. Irrational enough-
“Cassius, son of Asmodeus.” Rocks skittered across the floor as the large cloaked figure approached. “I was not expecting you.”
“Probably because you keep turning down my requests for an audience.”
The figure wavered and melted down into an ebony-skinned male, with a crown perched jauntily atop his head. It’s eyes still glowed white—not even a glamour could hide that amount of banked power.
“Priestess Amara, I assume. As lovely as the stories declare you to be.” The Lich King picked up her hand and brought it to his lips despite Mara’s sneering scoff.
“Indeed, I’m quite fortunate that blood suits me so well,” Mara said as she pulled back her hand and swiped it down her shirt, under the guise of wiping away blood.
“She’s to be addressed as Queen Amara by you.” Cass pulled her closer to his side, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. His Mara didn’t like being touched without consent, and he didn’t like others touching her. With, or without it.
The Lich King narrowed his glowing eyes. It was hard to tell precisely what he was looking at, but Cass could guess. His hand twitched at his side but he kept his expression blank.
“That’s some welcoming committee you have… or had, rather.” Cass’s body throbbed with all the aches and pains he’d received since his arrival, and Mara’s leaning heavily against him told him she wasn’t faring much better.
The Lich King tapped his crown, and it changed into a bowler hat. Cass just growled, Mara’s hand tightening around his.
“We’ll need a room, a shower or someplace we can clean up.” Mara’s tone was imperious, her chin tilting in that condescending way she had about her.
The Lich King gestured around the room. “You two going to clean up your mess?”
With a resigned sigh, he contained the hell-flames, pushing them back to where he’d called them from.
The room was still oppressively hot; the cracks blackened scars through the rock walls that were left standing. The Lich were strewn about the room, some no more than heaps of dusty bones, still stirring, the rest moaning and groaning while trying to recoup.
Goldphish
“We don’t have anything as aggressive as the showers used in the mortal plane.” The Lich King kept up his casual conversation as though he and Mara were expected guests, and he was set to entertain. “Our skin, for those of us who still have it, is far too fragile. We have mineral springs you’re free to bathe in, but do stick to the outer banks, our local wildlife has developed an appetite for necrotic flesh.”
“Nothing necrotic about our flesh,” Cass grumbled, flashbacks of the horror scene from the cavern replaying through his mind.
The Lich King looked over, giving Cass a thorough perusal which made his skin crawl. He was nothing but grateful for Mara’s jealous streak when she forcibly pushed her small body between them as a buffer.
“You may call me Bloise,” the Lich said, halting their progress. “I’ll leave you now in Saed’s capable hands and will rejoin you at our banquet. We can discuss the reason for your visit then.”
Cass nodded, not in agreement to socializing but to discussing business so they could get a move on and get out of here. Mara was hurt, they were both likely to acquire more injuries before they got their hands on the Rod — he couldn’t see the Lich giving it up lightly… and still; he had no idea how to get his hands on the gold recipe Mara needed to quell her growing rebellion.
As soon as the Lich minion left them alone in the bathing chambers, Cass set to the task of stripping off every bit of Mara’s travel clothes, taking time to examine every inch of flesh as he uncovered it.
“Cass, really I’m fine.” She pushed his hands away.
His heart wasn’t interested in her mollifying words, his mind not eased by them.
“I just needed to be sure.” He swiped at the blood on her forehead but it was already drying. “You need to get cleaned up.”
She smiled up at him, bright enough to warm his chest. “I do? Have you looked at yourself? Honestly, Sin. I don’t even know what the decrepit old Lich sees in you.” With a shake of her head and a smirk, she focused on untangling the mess he’d made of her robes.
“Listen here, wench. You’ll behave or I’ll feed you to whatever sea monster surely lives in that water.”
They both faced the entirety of the cavern, the smooth surface of the steaming black pools disturbed by odd ripples not caused by any natural current. The smell of sulfur was noticeable but not overpowering, just enough to hint at the source of heat for the pools of water.
Mara arched a brow. “Probably should toss the minion in first, you know, create a diversion.”
“I do not swim,” a voice came out of the shadows, making Cass jump.
“Eyes off her.”
“Cass,” Mara laughed softly, grabbing and turning his face back to hers, lowering her voice to a whisper. “I doubt he’s here to watch us bathe.”
“That is what I am here for. To observe and report back to my regent.” Saed’s voice lacked inflection, the only thing that saved him from Cass’s mounting temper.
“Get in the water Mara. Until everything’s covered.” He glared at the Lich, blocking Mara as best he could.
Mara, the contrary. That was his new name for her. For she stepped around him, unlacing the ties on his leather pants and pulling up his shirt, her bare ass in full view of the Lich minion.
“Saed, was it?” She looked over her shoulder at the Lich who was still ensconced in shadows. Cass had no way to see if he was looking at her. “What do you know of alchemy? Or are you merely a warrior?”
Minx knew damned well every one of these Lich prided themselves on their alchemical knowledge. It got him to step out of the shadows though. His skin was still mostly intact, though it could have been glamour, but grey, his eyes colorless as the Lich King’s. Must be a species trait.
“I have been perfecting the art of alchemy since you were no more than a whelp at your mother’s tit.” Saed’s voice no longer sounded flat, but terribly annoyed. Mara did have that effect on some, he couldn’t love her more for it. “Your highness.”
She pushed Cass’s pants down the rest of the way, bending to a knee to pull them off, his hands reflexively going to the top of her head. She smiled up at him with a heated look, then turned to look back at the Lich from her prone position. All the Hells, she was teasing the poor bastard. Probably deserved after talking about her mother’s tits and all.
“But not the gold? I’ve heard rumors of Alchemists gold, but I don’t believe it’s ever been proven to exist.” She got back to her feet and walked to the edge of the water, dipping in a toe before walking right in and sitting.
“Oh! There’s a bench. Come Cass, it’s so warm.” Her voice was husky, and he had to cover himself so he wasn’t showing off his reaction to that to the Lich.
He walked in and pulled her onto his lap.
“Brat,” he whispered right in her ear. He could feel her shoulders shaking with mirth against his chest.
“The secrets of our gold have never left our vaults.” Saed eventually managed to speak, obviously keen on what he and Mara were up to in the water. Cass
was more worried about washing the blood from her and seeing the true extent of her injuries than fucking her, a serious change from the usual.
“But that can’t be right,” Mara mused, feigning shock. “Why, my poison master has recently bragged about nearly perfecting the recipe.”
Cass snickered into her hair.
“Impossible.” Saed braced to move toward them, halting when Cass shifted Mara beside him. “I mean, your highness, our recipe has never left the hands of the Lich, there are only six of us alive that have ever had a hand in making it.”
“Oh. My.” She spread her hand over her chest. “Have you ever made it?” She purred, openly flirting, and if Cass didn’t know just what she was up to, he might have felt the sting of jealousy. Or burn, cause the sting was already there.
“I have never had the honor,” Saed said, his demeanor dejected. “I wouldn’t linger in the pool, lady. The creatures are always hungry.”
“Too bad.” The teasing minx pouted, the Lich buying right into it. “I would pay a fortune to have someone working under me that knew how to forge it.”
“There’s no forging involved, lady.” It didn’t escape Cass’s notice how much more respectful the minion was being to her. “It’s a simple chemical reaction. Well, simple for those of us schooled in alchemical process. A matter of blending and timing, perhaps a bit of magic.” Then the creepy thing winked at her and that was Cass’s line.
“All right. Time to dry off,” he got out of the water and lifted Mara out, setting her on her feet. “Mara and I have plans for dinner.”
The Lich shifted, dropping a bow off his shoulder and notching an arrow. “Step aside.”
Cass picked Mara up and kicked their bags closer to the cavern walls, following behind. Then stopped to look at what Saed was firing arrows at.
The thing that broke through the water looked like the head of an eel. A giant, intelligent eel. And it brought friends.
“Yuck, we were bathing with that?” Cass said with a shudder, Mara slapping his chest with a laugh.
